Tales from the Orange Apron...

Yes, I know it's August 1st ...

2007-08-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

First of all, to those few insane people who read this blog on a semi-regular basis, I do apologize ... yes, I did look at the last posting date, and yes, I do see that it has been a little while. Since you all asked so nicely, here's what's been going on in the last, oh, 5 months or so:

First of all, as you read before, the polo job in England fell through, and although I searched high and low no new job appeared. Therefore, I'm still working at HD, but it has vastly improved. As most of our install projects went to SFI (as in, the work is centered with the installer, not through the store), I was able to move from Installs out onto the floor in Kitchens. Boy, that was the best move I could've made - kept me from a total crazy breakdown. So I've been out working in Kitchens for nearly 4 months and enjoying it immensely.

However, in response to bills and the desire to go away for a month this Christmas, I've taken up a second job at Staples, which amuses one of my co-workers -- seeing as how she basically traded her job at Staples for HD. So as of Aug.7, I will be working 2 jobs - hopefully this will help clear off the big bills and allow me to save money for Christmas. Well, not just Christmas, since I'm also trying to go to Europe again in the spring. For the year or for just a little while, I'm not sure at this point; however, I know the where: Scotland. For why, see: http://www.cometoscotland.ca/index.html ..... Also, http://www.dooleyvacations.com/

So that's work. On the friends side of things, my best friend Jess is leaving soon (bah, whine) for AFRICA!!!, on a 6 month medical trip to Kenya. Check out her blog, which she'd better keep updated, or I'll have to get on a Loooong plane ride and kick her booty - http://jessicainkenya.blogspot.com/

Brian has abandoned me for Ontario (HA geek), Kim fluttering between Prince George and Saskatchewan (why?), and Sarah is strangely insular - she won't talk to anyone - I suspect she is trying out the hermit lifestyle with her soon-to-be fiance (oh please guys, just propose and get it over with so we can have another wedding). Jess Mac (well, formerly Mac, now Harrison) and Josh *finally* got married, in a beautiful wedding we were all happy to attend, mostly to see Josh in formal wear for the first and last time. There is a reason why guys get the short end of the stick in summer weddings - it's called "black tux". Ouch. Anyways, the ceremony was lovely, your dress was amazing, and you looked radient. Too bad no one's seen you since ... you too have been holed away, since that weekend.

Mmmm, another sip of Green Macha ice tea, and I know the world is a beautiful place. So what else .... yes Brian, I hear you grumbling about the hints I dropped earlier. You're right, it had nothing to do with pregnancy, especially since the last time I checked, there needed to be sex involved for that to happen (now is not the time to be quoting Immaculate Conception points).

Ok fine, the hints are out .... so Monday, my dad nearly lost his job. Nearly, as in I found out a few hours later that his boss almost decided to shut down the shop where he and about 8 others work, since there is practically no work for them to do. Thankfully, this didn't happen, but it did sound a wakeup call to the 'rents that if such a thing did happen in the future, the bills would overwhelm them pretty quickly. Same day, my mom was talking to a newly transplanted City worker from Calgary who said he was looking for a house to buy. When quoted a price of $318,000 - he didn't even blink (which is good cause that's about how much we'd need to pull everything off). So this is a possible avenue ... I'm at home, getting ready to head out to Kamloops as they're telling me this, and they both decide, "So what if we tentatively put the house available for sale and move to Honduras this fall?" (Yes Brian, I heard that "HA!", Bite me) The more they talked, the more this became a realistic option, instead of a fantasy one they'd bandied about before.

So we've decided to finish up what has been designated as "required" for home renovations (mostly, anything we've started but left in the middle to start something else), and then start testing the market by offering the house for sale in certain markets, such as the Alberta market for people looking for a solid rental property. With the lack of rentals around the area here, there should be no problem finding people to rent it ... 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, with hardwood floors and a basement? Easy. Of course, if it does sell, all of a sudden the timeline of moving next winter would be jumping up to possibly this October/November. I'm not sure how I feel about that, since it would practically require me to move too -- I hadn't even decided if I wanted to move down there, or try and stay here to find a place and keep working at, now, 2 jobs. Hopefully, I have a little more time to decide whether I want to do that or not.

Of course, the 'rents are thrilled by the idea of abandoning Canada on a shorter timeline ... both of them are bored of their jobs and what they call the "hurried" lifestyle this far north of the equator. I have to agree with them, but with a dose of reason. They're already plotting out the course they'd take - driving down through the States, on a route designed to allow for stopping at places they'd always wanted to see, like the Grand Canyon and Monteray Bay. I estimate it would probably take a good 10 days to drive the route from Vernon down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana -- however, with the 'rents driving, and stopping along the way at stuff, we're probably looking at more like 21 days. 3 weeks of driving through the States, the ultimate road trip. And then, of course, the container ship across and down to Honduras. We shall see.

Is that all? Oh yes, I forgot. I bought tickets to go see Josh Groban (sigh, flutter) in concert for Jess and I. However, she was extremely unthinking when she accepted this offer of a trip to Africa, since she leaves in about a week and thus, will miss the concert. Never fear, I have conned, coheresed, and otherwise browbeaten another friend to take her place ... miss the concert? NEVER! Not when my plans of sneaking backstage and being kidnapped by Josh for the rest of the year depend on going to said concert. Once again , we shall see.

So, is that enough for you in one post?? I hope so, cause I'm going to turn my attentions back to more important things for now, such as finishing Harry Potter, Book 6 ... in preparation for Book 7. Everyone else seems to have read it, it's like a foreign language when they talk.

Signing off. Brian, no more whining until you update your own damn blog. Ball = your court.

2007-02-24T19:04:00.000-08:00

Yes, The job in Britain has been short-lived ... I found out last friday that the guy I was going to groom for had decided not to play this season ... thus negating the need for me as a groom. So luckily I hadn't bothered to book my ticket yet (go procrastination for once!!), and I am back working my little tail off at HD again.

One upside - if I stick around long enough, I will get my profit sharing bonus check. No one will tell us what it might be, but I'm hoping somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,000 - $2,000 ... we shall see.

Besides that, I've just been working and going to the gym. My life is strangely insular. People, write in your blogs --- give me something to read!!!!

Bye.

It's a full moon tonight ....

2007-02-03T18:19:00.000-08:00

... and I am celebrating. Why, you might ask? What could be worth a celebration in the snow under what would have been a full moon, if it weren't cloudy? Well, I got a new job. And for once it's not here.

I have a new job in Britain. So I'm moving at the end of the month, probably. Dates have yet to be finalized, with the exception that the horses come in March 5th. Hopefully I'll be flying out sometime around Feb.28th.

Other than that, life has been pretty quiet around here. Anyone else got anything interesting going on?

Happy New Year everyone!

2007-01-14T08:42:00.000-08:00

Ack, it's the New Year already, and I can't even harass KOM for not posting, since he posted more recently. Well, fine, no matter. Let's just say that work became exponentially more crazy during the holiday season, and I barely had time to sleep, much less blog. But I'm back, and yes, the vacation was fantastic.

For anyone who's interested in seeing where I was holed up, go to "www.aboututila.com" and check it out from there. Our friends, Tony and Jo, have the Colibri Hill Resort under "Aoomodation", and I took my dive training at "Ecomarine/Gunther's Dive Shop". Feel free to check out all the pictures - yes, it's totally a tropical island, with pretty much everyday starting out around 28 degrees and sunny. I'm planning to go back there again for this year's Christmas; the "how long" is what I'm currently looking at. 2 and a half weeks didn't feel long enough, at least when you're in the last week of it and you don't want to go back to the snow. Maybe I can contrive some way for Tony and Jo to adopt me.

Also, as I write this, we have a new addition to the family. No, no one had children, before you all start thinking in that way .... after all the problems with mice in the last month and a half, I finally broke down and adopted a cat from the SPCA. It took her about an hour to make herself completely at home, and when I'm sitting, she is wrapped in a furry ball in my lap (like now). I'll post a pic of her for you guys when I get her to stand still long enough.

Anyways, hope everyone else's Christmas and New Year's was as good as they expected! Happy Birthday to Jess Harper, 23 yesterday and hopefully not too hung over today to go out for lunch. Everyone else, your birthdays are up and coming like mine. We'll see how they turn out!

TTYL all!

2 weeks to VACATION!!

2006-12-06T10:59:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been awhile since I've been back. So much for the "update once a week" idea. November just seemed to be a month of chaos - so many files, so many problems to solve at work. But we're almost past that, and we're at the 2-week mark til vacation! Wooo!

So it sounds like everyone had fun during NaNoWriMo, and although I didn't start any new stories, I did get a lot done on a few that were already started. So that's enough. Between work and the gym, I'm surprised I got anything else done. Now, the shopping for the trip really begins - picking up all the little things you never really think you need, like an extra bathing suit, batteries, that sort of stuff.

Dad's psuedo-IPod arrived today, and I'm playing with it ... one of the downfalls of buying something from Hong Kong -- electrical outlets are different. So, for the moment, the only way we can charge this little thing is to plug it into a computer and have it suck power from there. And this thing is *little*! 2 of them would fit in the palm of my hand! But it's still not as good as my little Dell DJ, and it has a way smaller hard drive so I'll keep mine for now.

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On your mark ... get set ... GO!!

2006-11-01T09:16:00.000-08:00

November 1st - it's that crazy time of year again! No, not the pre-Christmas run, or even the pre-pre-Christmas run for the really efficient people .... it's the first day of NaNoWriMo!! From this day forward, something like 70,000 people around the world will be plugging into their computers, or picking up the first of many pens/pencils and scratching the surface of what might be their first novel, or their fifth. For me, it won't be my first novel, but it might be the first one I've finished. 25 stories currently on the go, but only 1 of them even remotely close to being called finished. Hopefully, in a month's time we can count that to two.

That's enough for now ... if you haven't checked it out already, have a look .... http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Have fun everyone, and good luck in the next month. 50,000 words to go!

It's almost Samhain, or for the rest of you ... Halloween!

2006-10-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

So KoM has been after me for the last few days to post - he's taking this "I'm posting every week and so should everyone else" to new levels. But true, it is time for a posting to update the world. Where to begin?

Well the reason for the delay has been that I've booked myself in to see a personal trainer 3 days a week. I thought I needed the jumpstart to shed some dress size(s) before the inaugural trip to Honduras --- 7 weeks as of this FRIDAY!! --- and it seems to be working. Already down 1 dress size, striving for at least one more before I go. I would please me to buy a whole new wardrobe for the spring, although it would be better if I could con the money out of someone other than myself. Aside from a personal trainer 3 times a week, I'm also at the gym other days doing classes or simply cardio; I've decided to slow down this week, since I've gotten shoved to nights again while our most recent hire in appliances quits. More about that later.

Still on the workout level -- it's funny how you never realize how strong your body can be, until you push it into something. KoM, take my advice, you may not like the gym atmosphere, but if you can stick to it, I think you really might like the results. Actually, the results are starting to annoy me -- pants I just bought like, 2 weeks ago, are already starting to sag. Grrr, I have to buy MORE pants?? Damn. I'm guessing that if I'm shedding sizes this quickly just by the exercise, I could *really* shrink if I started following the precise nutritional plan issued by said personal trainer. The biggest issue I'm finding with that is that each meal takes soooo long to prepare - I get home from work, and the last thing I want to do is spend an hour and a half cooking something I don't even know will taste good. It's a gamble - some recipies from the book I've tried and they were ok (chicken marsala, for instance), and some were just... (the marsala part, I think the wine was funny). But since the plan's seems mostly designed for people who were eating pizza and nachos every night, I'm not too worried about it. Just by my normal eating habits, I've already been following it pretty well.

Oww, that's hot. And we're not talking Paris Hilton. Anyways, back to another facet ... I do have a slightly funny (well, it wasn't at the time) HD story to share. I had a customer who's bought over $5,000 in flooring installs come in on Saturday, to ask why the hardwood being installed on Monday wasn't in her house already. For those of you who don't know, hardwood flooring has to be in the house pretty well 4-5 days before it's installed -- it needs to acclimatize to the house's humidity, so it doesn't crack when it's installed. Her install is in 2 days, and she just happens to come in. As soon as I realize this, and I discover I can't reach the guy who's installing it to point out a few well chosen four-letter words, I'm quietly losing my mind. After about an hour, it ends up that we commandeer the truck of one of the associates, load up the 52 cases of hardwood flooring (frick, those were heavy!), and send him along with a Department supervisor and one of our Assistant Store Managers to deliver the hardwood to this lady's house. She's thrilled, we're exhausted, but it was my friday and she didn't leave screaming and yelling - a big point in my book. Turns out I go into work Monday to get a call from said installer --- yes, the hardwood was only being *delivered* Monday, and installed later on in the week. I managed to refrain from screaming, but only because there were customers around. All that stress and work could've been avoided, if said installer had just turned on his frickin' cell phone. But anyways ....

Oh yes, the appliance girl. Well, we must seem like a hard bunch of people to break into as a new associate, with us having gone through training and everything together, but we did (briefly) have a new girl working in Appliances. This, of course, thrilled me, because it meant I could stop working there and concentrate solely on Installs (rather necessary, since I'm in charge of all installations in Millwork [doors/windows/etc] and Decor [anything with window treatments]). But, I have just been informed that she's quitting for a better job in Red Deer, as of this Saturday. So, back kicking and screaming, go I to Appliances, every moment hoping they'll hire someone to replace her as soon as freakin' possible. I've decided that, if I can get away with it, I'm foisting the Kitchens associates into working Appliances, so I can be working in Installs -- if they need me, they can call me and I'll come out, but I won't be wandering uselessly on the floor for several hours. It has worked in the past.

Oh yeah, and I did some fun stuff to my room. No KoM, not fun stuff like cleaning - only you would call that fun. But I bought some of those wire cube things. You know, with a little cardboard support at the bottom, they make really nice bookshelves, and you can move them around/build them differently when the mood strikes you... as it did last weekend. I moved them around, and now I have room for a little desk with my couch. Sure makes it easier to write....

So it's time to wrap up. I hope you all read carefully, cause there may be a quiz next issue. Keep watching .... and someone tell me if "The Prestige" is worth seeing. I'd go just to see Jackman and Bale alone, but I'm hoping the story is decent as well. Going to see "The Illusionist" tonight - Woot!

It is that time of year ... NaNoWriMo!!!

2006-10-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

http://www.nanowrimo.org/modules/cjaycontent/index.php?id=2

I'm sure some of you (aside from KoM) are wondering what the hell NaNoWriMo is. Don't worry, I asked the same thing last year (or the year before, don't remember) when my good friend High Priestess of the Puck mentioned it. Turns out, there's an international group of people that get together for a month (November) and write themselves silly.

The rules: 50,000 words by midnight on November 30th. Yep, that's pretty much it. The link above gives more "Abouts" and the evolution of NaNoWriMo, but KoM and I have gotten into a little contest about who can actually cross the finish line, desperately clutching their 50,000 words. I say I can kick his ass, because on any given writing day, I can turn out more words than he can. And that, dear readers, is pretty much the only point of NaNoWriMo: quantity - quality comes later.

My one concern in this comes from the fact that (ok, so there are more than 2 rules), in order for your epicurean output to count, it must be a new story. And I have just done the tally: I currently have 25 stories sitting open, waiting in various states to be finished. 25. This goes beyond ridiculous into insane. Keeping in mind some of these stories are older than the lappytop here - at least 7 of them evolved through the various (3) laptops I've had over the years, starting out as poor "paper and pencil" stories. Look where we've come from there. I think I still have the original hard copies around here somewhere, condensed into the largest binder I could find at the time (4"). Yikes.

So I guess I have less than a month to either finish a story and make room in the pantheon for the new NaNoWriMo story, or simply shove everyone else aside and start another story. At least this one will have inspiration to be finished; inspiration, deadlines, whatever. I want the little gold star that says, "You finished." Whether the story actually gets read or published is never my concern.

Let's go, KoM.

NaNoWriMo: Kali_Ma.

http://www.nanowrimo.org/modules/cjaycontent/index.php?id=2

Just because I like it ...

2006-10-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

Your Element Is Fire

Your passion and emotion are as obvious as the brightest flame.
You make sparks fly, and your passion always has the potential to burst out.

You are exciting and creative - and completely unpredictable.
You sometimes exercise control, and sometimes you let yourself go.

Friends describe you as sensitive, spirited, and compulsive.
Bright and blazing with intensity, you seem mysterious and moody to many.

What's Your Element?

Like this was any surprise ...

2006-10-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

You're Totally Sarcastic

You sarcastic? Never! You're as sweet as a baby bunny.Seriously, though, you have a sharp tongue - and you aren't afraid to use it.And if people are too wimpy to deal with your attitutde, then too bad. So sad.

How Sarcastic Are You?

What Kind of Soul Are You?

2006-10-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

You Are a Dreaming Soul

Your vivid emotions and imagination takes you away from this worldSo much so that you tend to live in your head most of the timeYou have great dreams and ambitions that could be the envy of all...But for you, following through with your dreams is a bit difficult
You are charming, endearing, and people tend to love you.Forgiving and tolerant, you see the world through rose colored glasses.Underneath it all, you have a ton of passion that you hide from others.Always hopeful, you tend to expect positive outcomes in your life.
Souls you are most compatible with: Newborn Soul, Prophet Soul, and Traveler Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Virgin post of the HMS Orange Apron

2006-10-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

Greetings, it's WWoN again with a new blog. Since leaving my previous position with the pseudo-eBay company, I've decided to start up a new blog dedicated to my current occupation - bringing my faithful reader(s) (I know who you are) new tales from Behind the Orange Apron.

Can you guess what company this refers to? For abbreviations' sake, we'll shorten it to "HD".

Many of you have visited my little (or not so little) domain once or twice, in your never ending search to beautify and fix your homes. To that, I say "C'mon in, and come buy stuff". I may not know exactly what you're looking for, but I'm happy to help you spend money on whatever you see and like.

Now, what do I do there? As a matter of fact, I'm not just another face on the floor, hawking products. I carry the emminently important-sounding title of "Project Coordinator" - which basically means I deal with all the little bumps and hiccups (cause no project is without them) for most of the installations we handle. Yep, I sound important, I get to run around with files and yell at people, and I even have business cards. Life is good.

Due to the fact I enjoy being important in my job, I've also been promoted to a post of Kitchen Designer - one of 4 that will be on staff. If I ever get around to finishing my training. With a new store opening in Westbank, myself and 3 others were supposed to spend 2 weeks going back and forth from our little hamlet to the store for the class; however, circumstances (and Westbank being idiots) have changed. The class has been cancelled, and I may be getting a paid 2-week trip to Squamish or Cranbrook to complete it. Woo hoo, I think I can definitely find better places to spend 2 paid weeks for a company-sponsored trip than Squamish or Cranbrook.

Also, what else do I do? To the surprise of most, I don't work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at HD (although I think if they could, they'd try to schedule me). Aside from my vast and terribly complex plan of world domination and enslavement, I have my upcoming trip to Honduras to plan. Well, "plan" is a bit of a misnomer - the trip's already been booked, scheduled, and paid for. The planning is mostly for what I'm gonna do once I'm there. I believe so far there's: sleeping, swimming, and scuba diving. The holy trinity of "S". I'm also currently in the process of dragging my friend -- let's call her Grey, for her addiction -- to come out with me. In my experience, it's always handy to have a nurse nearby when I start doing stupid things.

Well that's good enough to start with so far. Since my blogging buddy KoM has decreed he will write in his blog more than once a year (yes KoM, it was dragging on that way), so will I. I won't say how often, because that traps you, but it will be more than once a month. Any good story, any good run-in with a customer ... you can be sure it will publish here. Until next time .....

WWoN, Dark Goddess of Home Improvement.